1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to facilities designed for firearms training and practice, commonly known as shooting ranges.
2. Prior Art
Various considerations in shooting range design and construction are discussed in the following booklets distributed by the Range Development Division of the National Rifle Association of America, 1600 Rhode Island Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20036:
NRA Part-Time Special Ranges; PA1 Planning and Design of Outdoor Ranges; PA1 High-Power Range Supplement to Planning and Design of Outdoor Ranges; PA1 Range Location and Landscaping; PA1 Small Bore Range Plans; PA1 Outdoor Pistol Range Plans; PA1 Indoor Rifle and Pistol Ranges; PA1 Range Tips; PA1 Running Game Ranges; PA1 Shotgun Shooting Facilities Plans; and PA1 NIOSH Technical Information--Lead Exposure and Design Considerations For Indoor Firing Ranges.
In general, the shooting ranges disclosed in the foregoing publications are permanent facilities constructed on site. Safety, of course, is a primary consideration, particularly with respect to the design and construction of bullet backstops located behind the target area. For outdoor ranges a large plot of land is required, and for indoor ranges a closed, bulletproof room is required, to assure that stray bullets do not leave the range. Nevertheless, there is the possibility of injury to participants and onlookers at the range, particularly from accidential misfires which may not be directed toward the targets. There also is the possibility of injury to unauthorized persons who wander into the range.
Noise also can be a problem, such as when an outdoor shooting range initially is located in a remote area, as is customary, and the surrounding area later is developed for other commercial or for residential purposes. Various steps can be taken to lessen noise somewhat, but the only practical solution may be to abandon the shooting range and construct a new range in another area.
Another problem with outdoor ranges is that they can be used only when the weather permits, and in cold climates the limited time during which the range may be used may not justify the cost of the large area required and the expense of construction.
In the "Maryland Nat'l Guard Tube Range" described at pages 5 and 6 of the booklet NRA Part-Time Special Ranges, several individual, open-ended, parallel "firing tubes" were constructed at ground level with corresponding ends of the tubes closely adjacent to a hill serving as a bullet backstop. The shooters kneel or stand in a trench dug adjacent to the other ends of the tubes, or lie in prone position with the trench covered over, and shoot through the tubes at targets supported outside the tubes next to the hill.
At pages 22 through 24, the NRA Part-Time Special Ranges booklet also describes "An Underground Range" in which bullets are shot through an underground concrete pipe from a "shooting house" to a "target bunker".